All Your Life
by kriss6819
Summary: Charlotte never thought she'd be the girl who gave it all up for a boy. But this isn't just any boy, it's Steven Hyde, and he had her whole heart.
1. Chapter 1

"Eric, it's time," Hyde said, looking frustrated at Eric.

"Why don't you do it," Eric answered back.

"It's your house. Listen to them up there, the party has reached critical mass. In ten minutes there will be no more beer opportunities," Hyde explained to the nervous boy in front of him.

"Lottie lives here too, why can't you go up and get them," Eric said looking to the girl sitting next to Kelso on the couch not paying attention to them.

Charlotte had been reluctant to hang out with Eric and his friends. She never assumed that just because they were cousins and she lived with Red and Kitty that he and his friends wanted to hang out with her. However with the party upstairs she had no choice but to hide out in the basement.

"Hey, I'm just the niece living here. I can't be caught stealing any of Red's beers or I'm out," she said, barely looking up from the magazine she had been flipping through.

"But if my dad catches me copping beers, he'll kill me," Eric said, finding no allies among him.

Hyde slapped his hand down on Eric's knee, "I'm willing to take that risk."

"Don't worry about it. Just remain calm, keep moving and-"

"Above all, don't get sucked into my dad's hair," Donna interrupted Kelso. Charlotte looked up at her from her magazine laughing. She had been outside sweeping the garage when she saw Bob's new hair. It was horrific.

"What's wrong with your dad's hair," Eric asked.

"Just…don't look at it," Donna explained.

"You might get caught and never found again if you do," Charlotte said laughing.

"And Eric, cold. Definitely cold," Hyde said, now holding Eric's face aggressively.

Eric got up and ran up the stairs, determined to get approval from his friends.

Now that he was gone Charlotte got up from her space between the two boys on the couch and moved to sit on the separate chair.

"Oh come on," Kelso said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down on the couch with them. "We don't have cooties."

Charlotte looked over at him, "you both are probably on a first name basis with the free clinic. I'm not taking those chances." She got up again, more quickly this time, and moved over to the chair.

"Why don't you hang out with us more," Donna asked. "It's good to have another girl around to keep these losers down."

"Hey, there's Jackie," Kelso looked offended at Donna.

"Okay, another girl that's not Satan," Hyde said, hitting Kelso in the arm.

Charlotte just shrugged back.

Truthfully, she wasn't entirely sure why she avoided Eric and his friends so often. She never assumed Eric wanted her around but there had been plenty of times where he had invited her and she declined.

Charlotte had been living with her Uncle Red and Aunt Kitty for a few years now. She moved in when she was 13 after her mom became unstable and decided she couldn't take care of Charlotte anymore. Her father died when she was 5, so Red was her closest relative. Her father, Dave, was Red's brother and Red always made sure Charlotte and her mother were taken care of after his death.

They had taken her in without complaint, though Charlotte knew it hurt them financially. She tried to give them her checks from her father's life insurance but they refused each time. Recently, she would cash the monthly check and stick the cash randomly around the house for them to find. She didn't want the money and figured this was the best use for it anyways.

For years, Red and Kitty tried to force Charlotte to hangout with Eric and his friends. They were the same age and Eric always seemed interested but she always resisted or would only hangout when it was just him around.

They got along well, listened to the same music, had the same humor, and his friends were always nice to her. Still, she kept her distance and ran with a different crowd at school. Sometimes at parties their groups would intermingle but mostly kept separate.

"Why don't you come to the Todd Rundgren concert with us," Donna asked, interrupting Charlotte's thoughts. "All of us are going, it'll be fun."

Charlotte looked up from her magazine again. She had wanted to go to that and none of her friends were going. She nodded her head, smiling timidly. "If Eric's cool with it, yeah. That'll be cool."

"Alright, we finally get to hangout with the cool Forman," Hyde said excitedly.

"I know, you all should feel honored," she said laughing.

She went back to her magazine but couldn't focus. She knew Eric would be cool with it, he was always encouraging her to hangout in the basement with his friends. She was actually excited to go with them too. Donna was cool and the boys were abit goofy but still fun.

She also knew they smoked in the basement all the time even though Eric never talked about it with her. They kept what they did separately from each other, giving each other plausible deniability when it came to Red.

"Check it out," Hyde said after she had gone back to her magazine. He was showing a nudie magazine to Kelso, looking impressed with whatever was on the page.

Donna knelt by them, taking a look. "We see that everyday," she motioned back and forth to her and Charlotte. Charlotte smirked as both the boys looked like they were trying to imagine whatever was on the page on the two girls in front of them.

Eric just then jumped out of nowhere, holding up his bounty: five beers.

"He's alive!" They all cheered him on as he passed them out.

"Good news. My dad is thinking of giving me the Vista Cruiser," Eric said as Charlotte opened and sipped her beer.

"You're getting a car," Kelso asked.

"No more walking to school! Nice Eric," Charlotte said, holding her beer up to him.

"Ooh. Have I told you how incredibly attractive you are, Eric," Donna said giving him a flirty look.

"No," he said trying to look cool. She knew he was probably screaming on the inside. He had a crush on the neighbor girl for years but never had the guts to do anything about it. Maybe this would give him the confidence to help him along.

"You told me he was cute."

"No I didn't."

"I remember cause you said not to say anything in front of Eric."

"Maybe you should listen to her more carefully next time, Kelso," Charlotte said into her beer.

Hyde broke the love bird's tension by holding out his beer to everyone. "Let's focus on what's important here people. Forman stole something. To Forman!"

They held their beers up in cheers, even Charlotte. She wouldn't dare steal from Red, so this truly was an accomplishment.

"You know what's sad? This is the proudest day of my life," Eric said.

They each drank their beer and eventually the night petered out. After Kelso left to hangout with his girlfriend, Eric got up to walk Donna home even though she lived next door.

"Night guys," Donna said as she was leaving. "For real, Lottie, hangout with us more often. And I'm not letting you out of the Rundgren concert, you won't leave me with just Jackie."

"Alright, I get it. You're slowly replacing Eric with me," Charlotte said as they left.

"Why is it you've lived here nearly four years and never hung out with us," Hyde asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't want Eric to think he had to hang out with me since I live here…It's hard enough being Red and Kitty's favorite, I didn't want to take away his friends too."

Hyde laughed, "come hangout with us the next time we smoke down here."

She must have had a surprised look on her face because he leaned forward on the couch and pointed at her.

"Oh come on, I know you do it. You hang out with James Lates and that crew, I know you smoke with them."

"I really haven't, Hyde. I don't trust them all that much," she shook her head.

"You have to smoke with us now, come on Lottie."

"What makes you think I trust you more than James, who I actually hang out with," she said laughing. She had wanted to try smoking for awhile but was cautious about who she'd be with the first time.

"You trust Eric, don't you? What would we do anyways, you're Eric's cousin. You're off limits." That surprised her. If he meant what she thought, she didn't even know she was wanted to begin with.

"Alright, fine. Next time you smoke down here and I'm home, come get me." She got up and started walking upstairs, hoping she could bypass all the partygoers on her way to her room.

"Hey," Hyde called after her. "We're way cooler than James and his crew, anyways."

She laughed and kept walking, "yeah, yeah. I'll hangout more."

* * *

"Hey guys," Charlotte said to Red and Kitty as she walked into the kitchen from being dropped off from her friends after school.

"Oh good, sweetie" Kitty said, getting up from the table. "We were just about to call Eric up to talk to him about the car! You should be here for that too." She came over to give Charlotte a hug. Charlotte stood just barely taller than Kitty but she was the only one.

Charlotte was always very small and petite, standing at barely 5'2" barefoot. She wore platforms and heels nearly everyday to keep herself from looking too small. She was proud of her small frame, though, the way it curved nicely in the right spots and she ran everyday to maintain it. She even ran on the track and cross country teams each semester and won most of her races, though she never talked about it with her friends and family.

"Cool, where is he? I'll go get him for you," Charlotte offered. When Red said he was in the basement she wondered if they were smoking. Not because she wanted to join but because she knew Eric would be so much more paranoid for this talk.

Walking down the smell of the skunky weed hit her.

"Eric, Kitty and Red wanna talk to us," she said kneeling just barely so she could see Eric, Kelso, Hyde, and the foreign kid, Fez, sitting around the table.

"About what," Eric said, already looking paranoid.

Shrugging her shoulders, she played ignorant to make him more paranoid. "I don't know, just come on."

She walked back up and grabbed two chairs for her and Eric. "He's coming," she told her aunt and uncle.

"Your mother and I have been talking," Red started once Eric was sitting. "Since I've been cut back to part-time at the plant and the hospital is so close, I can take the Toyota to work and your mom can take the bus."

"Honey, really, I'd rather walk. When I ride the bus in my nurse's uniform, people always show me their scars."

Charlotte took a peak at Eric as Kitty and Red were talking and could tell he was having a hard time keeping it together.

"He's a teenager. He doesn't want to drop off-"

"Well, if he cant drop his own mother off at work then I'll be damned if he's getting a car."

Charlotte poked Eric in his rib urging him to start talking so he didn't lose the car.

Taking the hint Eric sat straighter in the chair. "Excuse me. Am I getting the car?"

She knew Red wouldn't let him off that easy as he stuck his hand out to stop Eric. "We didn't say that. Things don't just drop into your lap, Eric. Not in this life."

Kitty butted in then, "a car is a responsibility."

"You'll need insurance. Do you have any idea how much insurance is? And you have to drive Charlotte wherever she wants." She perked up at that. She knew Eric would drive her anywhere if she asked but it's always nice to have Red's final word on it.

"A car is a privilege," Kitty went on.

_Poor, Eric_ Charlotte thought. This conversation is weird sober she couldn't imagine how Eric was feeling.

"And no doughnuts either... ants," Kitty finally ended the conversation looking at Red.

"So, do I get the car?" Eric asked again. He probably hadn't followed any bit of that but surprisingly caught the keys that Red threw.

"Bitching," he exclaimed.

Charlotte put her head in her hand. He made it this far without looking dumb but couldn't make it all the way apparently.

Luckily, Red and Kitty were none the wiser. "Eric, not in front of your mother or cousin."

"Thank you pop…sir," Eric said awkwardly.

"Yeah, well…clean the attic," Red said.

Charlotte had already gotten up and put her chair away, so she gave Red a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Red," she said.

"Yeah, you make sure he takes care of it and you," he said smiling at her.

After they left she gave Eric a quick pop on the shoulder. "Congratulations, cousin! You got a car!"

"Yeah, did it look like the wall was moving behind them the whole time." He looked as though he was still processing what happened.

"Nope, now let's go tell the guys in the basement," she said, racing him down.

* * *

It was the night of the concert and she was feeling a bit nervous to hangout with Eric and his friends for so long. Jackie was coming now so it felt more coupley than she'd care to admit.

She was wearing her tight, high-waisted bell bottoms that always made her feel taller, a tight black v-neck, and platforms. She let her long brown hair fall in its normal loose, tamed waves and kept her makeup to a simple, natural look.

She was standing out with Kelso and Donna as Eric did over-the-top safety checks. As she was about to get in after watching Kelso and Donna fight over shotgun she stopped when she saw Red come out of the garage.

"Taking her out for a spin, eh?"

"Yes sir."

"See you later, Red," she said as she walked over to give Red a small kiss on the cheek. She and Red always had a special relationship. He had taken it upon himself to be the fatherly figure in her life after her father died and was always sweet to her. She returned the kindness and always tried to help him out around the house and yard which he greatly respected her for.

"Have a good time, Charlotte. Eric, take care of your cousin," he said as he patted her arm. Charlotte got into the back seat, listening to Red still. "Oh, one more thing. Very important about the car. She's old so no trips out of town. Ever. Understood? Well, good. Have fun." Red walked away, smiling.

"Well, I guess that's that. We're not going," Eric said defeated after Red was back in the house.

"Eric, do you want to go?"

"He said no trips out of town." Eric could be such a goody-good.

"It's your car. Do you want to go," Donna said.

"He's god," Eric said.

"No, he's not. He'll never know, Eric. Come on, let's go," Charlotte said putting her hands on his shoulders and giving him a shake.

"Yeah, I think god would want us to go to Milwaukee," Kelso reasoned.

"Eric, you are a 17 year old man. I'm gonna go with whatever you say. It's your decision."

Of course Donna would be the one to convince Eric to go. He would do anything for a shot with her, Charlotte thought.

Sure enough, it worked. "It is my decision. And my decision is…we're going to the concert."

They all cheered and settled into their seats as Eric started the car.

They needed to pick up the rest of the group and Charlotte had already decided that she'd sit in the back once they picked everyone else up. Jackie was last to be picked up and Charlotte moved to the back before she was even out of her house. She was surprised, however, when Hyde moved back with her.

After giving him a confused look he just shrugged and said he didn't want her to not hangout because of this.

They sat in the back mostly quiet the others talking and wrestling loudly up front. She was sitting against the trunk door with her legs stretched out and Hyde to her right sitting up against the car.

They talked a few times, him asking her if this was her first concert-it wasn't- and then talking about both of their first concerts.

Hers was when she was 4, her dad took her to see The Beatles. He sat her on his shoulders and let her stay there the whole time. She was young at the time but she still remembered every moment of it.

"They're still my favorite band. I listen to them every time I want to feel close to him," Charlotte said surprising herself. She never talked about her dad to anyone, not even her mom. It was rare if she even let herself remember him.

"That's cool. They're a little fruity for me but they're good," Hyde said. They sat in quiet for awhile after that.

Eric stopped at a convenient store so they could all get some drinks before the concert. Charlotte got out but didn't get anything so she stood around waiting for everyone else to get in. However, once Eric went to start the car it wouldn't switch over.

"What's wrong," Eric asked fear dripping from his voice. "Why won't it start?" He was cranking the key but the engine wouldn't start.

"Try stepping on the gas abit," Charlotte called from the back. That didn't work though.

"I think you're out of gas, Eric," Kelso said.

"No, Kelso. We were on half a tank," Eric retorted.

"Well, why won't it start," Kelso yelled back.

After trying a lot more and each person giving it a go, they decided to get the mechanic of the convenient store to look at the engine.

They stood quietly, all worried and upset that they might miss the concert and be stranded outside of Milwaukee.

"It's the battery," the mechanic said coming out from the engine. "It's six years old and shot to hell."

"I know what. I'll just call my dad," Jackie said as she came out of the car.

"Kelso, tell her."

"He can't take the car out of town," Kelso explained. Charlotte was standing on the other side of the car as everyone else thinking about how pissed she was going to be to miss the concert and be grounded with Eric after this.

"I'm not calling his dad."

"Jackie, parents talk to each other about how we screw up," Hyde said mockingly.

"Why would he talk about that?"

The rest of them went on to explain to Jackie how this would eventually end up back to Red if she called her dad. Charlotte stayed quiet, she didn't know Jackie but she was certain she wasn't stupid, even if she was annoying.

"Guys, we are in the middle of nowhere and I have to go to the ladies' room," Jackie said heading to the stores bathroom. Before she made her way there she turned back and called for Donna to follow her to the bathroom. Charlotte was glad that Jackie didn't like her enough to force her come with.

As the other girls went to the bathroom she made her way around to the other side of the car and stood in front of Hyde.

"So, where you going?" The mechanic looked her up and down, giving her a bit of the creeps.

Hyde stepped forward though placing himself in front of her. "Rundgren concert."

The mechanic must not have noticed Hyde's assertion as he just answered "cool. So, what, do you want a battery? Cause I can get you a battery."

"Are they cheap or possibly free," Eric asked. He must have been hoping for the best, because even Charlotte knew it wouldn't be cheap and she didn't know anything about cars.

"32 bucks. Minimum," the mechanic, Randy according to his name tag, answered.

"All right, I tell you what. We'll trade you our battery plus five bucks for one of your batteries."

"Kelso, come on," Charlotte said. He had a habit of being too dumb and driving up prices.

"Well, that 's a really sweet deal, my friend. But how about this? How about one battery for two concert tickets?"

"No, we can't give up two tickets," Kelso shook his head.

"Okay," Randy walked away.

"It's either that or none of us go," Eric said.

"So who's out?"

Charlotte stepped up and haded over her ticket to Eric, "here, he can have mine."

"What? No," Eric said, refusing the ticket she was offering. She went to argue with him but was cut off by Hyde.

"Yeah, no. Let's kick out the one no one wants here first," he said.

"Who's that," Kelso asked, looking around genuinely confused.

"Well, I don't know. Jackie," Hyde said.

"Oh, of course Jackie. I mean, Jackie's gone. But who else?"

"Oh I don't know, Jackie's date," Eric answered.

"No, Charlotte volunteered already," Kelso pointed at her.

She just shook her head, "sorry, there's no way I'm spending three hours with her in the car alone. Consider my offer rescinded."

"Come on, you know I'm breaking up with her. You guys are chopping me out!"

"I've had to listen to her for a good hour."

"A really long hour," Fez chimed in.

"God hates me," Kelso said handing over the tickets. They took the tickets from him and went over to do the deal with Randy.

* * *

On the way back home after the concert, Charlotte sat in the back with Hyde again. Her ears were ringing and she was exhausted but she was glad she went.

The ride back was much quieter and Charlotte kept dozing off, lulled by the soothing rocking of a car on the highway. She had trust issues with sleeping around other people though, so she kept shifting her body to keep herself up.

After her chin hit her chest for what felt like the sixth time, Hyde nudged her with his boot.  
"Give it up, just go to sleep."

"No, I don't like falling asleep in cars," she said, shifting again so she was no longer against the back of the car but facing towards him.

"Just sleep, nothing is going to happen," he reasoned.

"I'm fine, just need something to distract me." She blinked her eyes, noticing how much harder it was to open them again.

"Talk to me then. How was your first time hanging out with us," he asked.

She nodded, thinking it over. "Fun, I guess you guys are cool enough."

"Cooler than James Lates at least."

Charlotte wasn't sure why she kept bringing him up. It wasn't like she hung out with him or his crew all the time. She didn't even have a group of close friends, she mostly drifted between groups, hanging out with lots of people but never getting to be super close.

"Sure, you're cooler than James Lates. But are you cooler than Lance Levine," she cheekily asked.

"That's right, I did hear you hang out with him. Nah, he's way cooler than us."

Charlotte laughed, feeling more at ease than she had in a while.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Charlotte! Wait up!"

Charlotte turned around to find Chris Warrell jogging to catch up to her. Turning back around, she quickly smoothed out her hair before he was in front of her. She just got out of cross country practice and though she showered and was in the clothes she wore to school that day, she still didn't expect one of the school's most attractive guys to be talking to her at that moment.

Chris Warrell was one of those guys that belonged in the movies. With boyish good looks and the leather jacket he always wore, he could rival James Dean any day. Though they knew each other and sometimes hung in the same circles, Chris never actively made to talk to Charlotte.

Though Charlotte wasn't interested in finding a boyfriend- she had too many plans that a boyfriend just didn't fit in with- she would never pass up a chance to gain attention from the hottest guy at her school.

"Hey, I saw you at practice, you're looking good out there," Chris said as he finally caught up to her.

Nodding her head Charlotte said, "thanks. I'm trying to work on my finishes, I'm always just a few seconds from breaking my time."

"Yeah, you'll get it though. Hey, I was wondering if you had plans for Saturday? 'Cause I was thinking we could go see a movie this weekend?"

Caught off guard by Chris asking her out, Charlotte stuttered to get her answer out, "-oh, yeah. I mean no. I actually have plans on Saturday."

"Oh, okay. I get it," Chris said, disappointedly.

"I'm free next weekend though. I just have a family thing this weekend," Charlotte said, giving Chris an encouraging smile.

"Yeah? It's a date then," Chris smiled. "I'll pick you up."

Chris offered to take her home but Charlotte declined and said she'd rather walk home. Truthfully, she just wanted alone time to think through what she just signed up for.

It's not that she wasn't into Chris. She just didn't date and never planned on dating in high school. She wanted to go to college far away from Pointe Place and considered getting intimate with anyone as a barrier. But that didn't mean she had to be a hermit, right? It was just one date, not marriage, she reasoned.

When she got back to her house she decided she'd go to the basement to watch TV down there.

Finding everyone already down there she sat down on the chair closest to the TV next to Steven.

"Lottie," Eric practically whined at her. "Can you convince my mom not to throw me a party for my birthday, please."

Charlotte laughed, knowing that no amount of convincing was going to stop Kitty from throwing him a party. She had already stocked up on chips and ingredients for a cake.

"Eric, you're her baby, there's no way she's not throwing you one. So, just sit back and enjoy it," Charlotte said. She understood why he didn't want it but there was no use trying to fight it; it was going to happen regardless.

"You're no help," Eric groaned and stretched his head back.

"Oh fine, I'll mention something to her. But you owe me, I cancelled plans to go to the party you don't want so bad," she said, pointing playfully at him.

"Thank you! I'll drive you everywhere you want," Eric said.

"You already do, try again."

"What plans did you have to cancel, Lottie," Jackie said in a voice that sounded suspiciously like she already knew what they were.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at the young girl, "why?"

"I just heard that Chris Warrell was planning on asking you out at lunch," Jackie said, continuing to tease Kelso's hair.

Charlotte diverted her eyes back to the TV but could feel everyone's eyes on her.

"Wait, the hottest guy in our school asked you out, Charlotte," Donna leaned forward to catch her eye.

"It's not that big of a deal," Charlotte said, still refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"I'm not from this country and _I _know it's a big deal," Fez said.

Rolling her eyes, Charlotte went back to the TV. "It's just one date," she muttered.

It was silent for awhile and she could still feel a few eyes on her as she stared at the TV.

"Wait, Chris isn't hotter than me, right," Kelso asked.

* * *

Charlotte sat at the kitchen table as Eric came in and Kitty quickly working to prevent him from seeing the copious amount of party food she had in the cupboards.

"Please don't throw me a party," Eric begged his mom.

Charlotte chuckled in her cup of orange juice, knowing his protests were pointless. Picking at her toast, she listened to Eric try to explain that he wanted a cassette player for the car.

Hearing Eric talk to his parents in such a normal manner made Charlotte's heart hurt for her parents. The last time she had a good birthday was her 5th birthday when her dad was still alive. They took her to the zoo and bought her an ice cream with two scoops. She remembered falling asleep in the car on her way home, feeling as full with love and happiness as she ever would.

Charlotte refused to celebrate ever since. Not the way that Eric would ask his parents to not throw a party though. Charlotte refused to let anyone acknowledge her birthday. No cake, no presents, no cards or she wouldn't come out of her bedroom. It never felt right without her dad and knew it would never make her feel that full feeling again.

After Eric left, Charlotte turned to her uncle, "Red, can I call my mom in the living room?" It had been awhile since she talked to her mom and it was always better when the house was filled with less people.

"Of course, honey. Kitty and I will be in here," Red said patting her hand.

Nodding her head, Charlotte quickly washed her plate and glass. Grabbing the phone and dialing in the kitchen, she pulled the cord into the living room where her voice would at least be a little muffled from her aunt and uncle.

The phone rang continuously and just before she was about to get up to hang up, someone answered.

"Hello," a bright, strong voice came from the other end of the line.

Charlotte's stomach dropped, it wasn't her mom.

"Hi, I'm looking for my mom, Patricia Forman," Charlotte said lightly into the phone.

"Oh, she's not here. She had a bad day yesterday and is under close doctor's watch," the woman said.

"Oh, okay…Can you- could you call me next time she has a bad day," Charlotte said.

"I'll let the doctor know you asked. Call again in two days, she should be out by then."

"Okay, thank yo-" the woman hung up before she even finished her thanks.

Charlotte waited until the sick feeling in her stomach went away and when she was sure that she could talk without any quiver before she went to hang up the phone.

She found Red and Kitty sitting at the table with a knowing look.

"She was out at one of the classes, the nurse said she'd call me back," Charlotte lied.

Not able to take their gaze, she went upstairs to finish her homework from the day before. Once in her room, she sat on the bed and stared at her door.

Her mom had another bad day. This was the third bad day this month. It had been a bad month in a bad year.

Her mom was spiraling since her fathers death 11 years ago. But it got especially bad when she turned 12. Her mom couldn't hold a job or even cook dinner. Before Charlotte came to Red and Kitty, she was taking care of herself as her mom slept and drank all day.

Patricia finally decided it was enough when Charlotte cut her finger badly while making dinner one night. Her mom wouldn't wake up to take her to the hospital, so she had to go next door to beg Mrs. Hansa to take her.

Her mom woke up to find the stove still on and blood all over the counter top and sink. Not knowing what happened but not wanting to cause a scene, she waited until Charlotte got home hours later holding her stitched finger.

At first Patricia yelled at her as soon as Mrs. Hansa left, calling her irresponsible and bad daughter. After she noticed how Charlotte was holding her hand and how pale she looked, though, she stopped yelling and just sat on the couch.

She sat all night, muttering how horrible of a mother she was and that she couldn't take care of her own child. Charlotte tried consoling her, telling her it wasn't her fault that she didn't know how to use a knife but that only upset her more.

The next morning, Patricia sat Charlotte down and told her that she was going to drop her off at Uncle Red's house. It was to be a temporary solution, just until her mom could clean herself up and take care of her again.

During the first year she thought that her mom was ready to take care of her but it was quickly taken over by another 'bad' day. After four years, Charlotte knew her mom would never be better. She went to the hospital for a treatment that was supposed to make her better the previous year but she never left and seemed to only decline since.

She was thankful for Red and Kitty taking her in without complaint even though she knew they struggled to pay bills. She did everything she could to make it easier on them- taking on extra chores and doing things without being asked. The guilt never went away, though. It sat in her stomach any time she saw them buy generic brand soda or when they talked in hush voices about bills when they thought Eric and her were away.

That's why she planned to get out of there as soon as she graduated. She wanted to be away from the state that constantly reminded her both of the greatest and worst times of her life. To move away, go to school, get a good job, and pay back her aunt and uncle for every kindness they showed her was. That was what kept her from slacking even a little in school.

Charlotte always got top grades in all her classes and worked extra hard in track so that she'd be able to go to college without asking for another dime. Even when she wanted to, she didn't loosen up. She knew it would all pay off when she never had to rely on another person again.

* * *

After an hour of decompressing she made her way out to head to a friend's house when she found all her cousin's friends outside.

The boys were playing basketball while Jackie and Donna stood next to the car watching them.

Jackie ushered her into the car as soon as she walked outside, demanding that she engage in their girl talk.

"Charlotte, come on! Get inside," Jackie said, pushing her in.

"What? I don't even know what's going on," Charlotte said. Still, she obliged the younger girl and got in.

"Eric kissed Donna," Jackie nearly screamed when the door shut.

Charlotte laughed, "yeah, I know. You think he shut up about it that night?"

"What happened," Jackie demanded.

Donna groaned, "I'm not going to talk to you about this."

"And who are you going to talk to."

"Okay, we get home from the Rundgren concert and I'm siting on the hood of the car and I kissed him," Donna said in one breath.

Charlotte sat back in the backseat. She knew all about the kiss, Eric came into her room and talked to her for nearly an hour about it that night. She loved her cousin but she didn't need to hear more about his romantic life.

"French or American," Jackie demanded.

Charlotte laughed again, "is American even a thing?"

Jackie just shot her a pointed look.

"So, look I've lived next door to Eric my entire life and we talk about everything together. We love the same music, we love the Packers, then I kissed him and everything changed and now I don't know if he's my boyfriend or if he's my best friend. And if he's my boyfriend, I lose my best friend and if I screw it up, I lose my best friend and my boyfriend. Now I have to get him this gift and I don't kno-"

"Donna," Jackie interrupted. "I've solved it. Get him a scented candle."

"Oh my god," Charlotte groaned.

"A scented candle?"

"It's practical and romantic. Oh, yeah," Jackie said, sitting back in her seat. She only remained silent for a moment before she quickly whipped round to look at Charlotte.

"What," Charlotte asked.

"You better listen closely, now that you're dating Chris."

"I'm not dating him. I'm going on one date, one," Charlotte held up her finger to emphasize her point.

"Don't take this the wrong way but I can't see you dating anyone like Chris Warrell," Donna said, looking back at her.

"First, I'm not dating him. I'm going on one date. Second, why?"

"He's so vapid," Donna said, pausing. "I bet he doesn't even know what vapid means."

"It doesn't matter, he's so dreamy," Jackie said.

"It's one date, one," Charlotte said again. "Now, I'm leaving. Donna, it doesn't matter what you get Eric. He'll drool over it no matter what. Jackie, stop dating Kelso, you're better than him."

Before she could leave the driveway, she was stopped by Steven grabbing her arm.

"Hey, when are you coming to the basement to smoke," he asked.

Charlotte smiled, remembering her promise to smoke with them sometime soon. "Save some for the birthday boy's party and we'll do it then. It'll loosen him up after Donna gives him a scented candle," she whispered the last part, leaning into Steven.

He looked down at her and nodded. "Okay, you can't bail for your boyfriend then."

"ONE DATE!"

* * *

When Charlotte got back to the house later, Laurie was home from college for the weekend. Laurie and Charlotte always got along well, as long as Laurie didn't feel threatened as the favorite child in the house.

Laurie was the older sister that she never had but always wanted. She taught her to curl and style her hair, to put an outfit together, all the stuff that a sister would. They got into their spats when Laurie couldn't contain her bitchiness but Charlotte just let it go most times.

"Hey, Charlotte," Laurie said when she got in.

"Hi," Charlotte hugged her.

"Damn, girl. You must be taking my place as most popular girl in Pointe Place," Laurie said, looking Charlotte up and down.

Charlotte shook her head. "No, Laurie. I don't even date, you know that."

She chose to keep the fact that she was going on a date next weekend quiet, not wanting to get even more attention to it.

"Sure, but it probably doesn't stop them from going crazy for you. I mean come on, look at you," Laurie said. She reached out and twirled a piece of Charlotte's long brown hair as some kind of testament to what she was saying.

Charlotte just shrugged her shoulders playfully and reached for a soda from the fridge.

"Any of my idiot brother's friends catch your eye? Kelso's gotten kinda hot these last years," Laurie said.

Charlotte nearly spit out the sip of soda she'd taken.

"Oh god, Laurie, no. Kelso is dumber than box of rocks. No way."

Laurie just shrugged her shoulders as they walked to the couch in the living room.

"So, how's college? What classes are you taking this semester," Charlotte asked. She always wanted to hear about the classes and professors Laurie had in school but Laurie ended up talking about boys instead.

Charlotte let her talk and engaged for awhile until she decided she was done hearing about it and went upstairs to her room to read before dinner.

* * *

The next day, Charlotte elected herself for helping Kitty decorate the living room for Eric's party. She smirked to herself, knowing that he was downstairs dreading being called up for his 'surprise.'

She couldn't suppress her laugh when Kitty made them all yell 'surprise' when Eric was asked to come upstairs. She was standing next to Steven and she had to walk away from him to stop them from laughing at Eric's misery.

Her composure didn't last long when Eric opened his parent's gift of an 8 track player. She was hitting Hyde by the end of it, trying to get him to stop laughing so she could stop laughing. Eric just stared at them with gloom.

"Hey, may wanna not watch Eric open my gift," Hyde whispered to her.

After she gave him a confused look, he followed up with, "it's cassette tapes."

She chuckled, holding her stomach, "my abs thank you for that warning."

Charlotte went to her room to grab the present she got for Eric after the adults left. She didn't want them to realize their mistake and wanted to give it to Eric without them around.

"Here, happy birthday," she handed the box over to Eric.

He ripped the paper off and looked genuinely surprised for the first time that night.

"A cassette player? Lottie, you're the best cousin ever," Eric said, hugging her tightly.

"Yeah, yeah. I get first dibs on what to play when you're driving me around," she smiled at him. "Oh and don't tell Kitty and Red that they messed up. Just take back the 8 track player and get the money."

"Genius, pure genius," he said.

What little of a party it was, it slowly died out when Eric went to get his candle from Donna on the porch.

Charlotte was always an introvert and she met her social quota already but couldn't leave her cousin's party just yet. So, she grabbed herself a piece of cake and sat on the stairs away from everyone.

Her plan to eat in quiet was thwarted when Steven sat down next to her, stealing the fork out of her hand and taking a bite of her slice of cake.

"Hey, get your own," she said, pushing him with her shoulder.

"I could but yours is so much better," he said.

She just rolled her eyes at him, "so how long till the two out there are dating?"

"I think the real question is how long until he screws it up," Steven said. He followed up by taking a finger of frosting off her plate.

"True but I think they're meant to be," she said as she handed the fork over to him to take another bite.

"Yeah, like you and Chris Warrell?"

Charlotte let out a frustrated groan, "what is everyone's deal with that?"

"It's just not everyday that the infallible Charlotte Forman breaks her standards and starts dating one of us inferiors."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, staring at him. "Infallible? Seriously? That is so not true," she said.

"From where the rest of us sit, Lottie, you're pretty close," Steven said with his eyes on the fork with cake.

She had no response back to him. She just stared at him dumbly. She was so far from perfect that she had no idea where this was even coming from.

Before she could come up with a response, he cleared his throat. "Why do you think we want you to smoke with us so bad? So we can see the smartest person in the room be dumb for a while."

"How do you even know I'll be dumb," she grabbed the fork out of his hand. "I could be even smarter and just make you feel dumber. Even then, is this the way to get me to smoke? I'm just going to feel self conscious, now."

"Oh, come on. You know Kelso will still be the dumbest in the room," Steven pointed over to where Michael stood, trying to balance a spoon on his nose.

Charlotte laughed, knowing that was true.

They ended up finishing the party with tv and watching Eric and Donna sit awkwardly on the porch together. Eventually, the girls went home and the boys convinced Charlotte to smoke in the basement with them.

After making sure that Eric was okay with it, Charlotte walked downstairs with trepidation. She'd been around enough people when they were high to know that it wasn't a big deal but she still couldn't help the ball of anxiety in her stomach tightening with every step she walked down.

She sat down on the couch as the boys got everything ready. Steven ended up sitting next to her and holding, lighting, and telling her what to do the whole time.

After a few rounds, she felt like all of the muscles in her body relaxed and she melted in the couch. Sitting back, she brought her knees to her chest and focused on how much louder and brighter everything felt.

Eric ended up interrupting her thoughts after a few seconds, "Lot, you good?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm good. I'm just- everything is just so much louder and intense, right? Am I doing this right?"

The guys laughed at that and Steven patted her knee, "yeah, you're doing it right."

They sat around, talking and laughing at stupid stuff for a few hours before Kelso and Fez ended up leaving to go home.

"So, what did you think, Charlotte," Eric said after they left. She was just barely coming down and was still feeling as though she was melted to the couch. Somehow, she ended up with her feet slung over the arm of the couch and leaning her head against Steven's shoulder.

Charlotte nodded, "yeah. Come get me the next time you do that down here. I haven't felt that free ever."

Eric smiled, "good. I'm going to bed. See ya."

"Gotta go think over everything that happened with Donna, don't you," Charlotte pointed at her cousin.

"What? No- I…shut up," Eric said running up the stairs without saying anything else.

Giggling, she felt Steven move his arm up, so that her head fell back into his lap.

"Did you have fun," he asked, looking down at her through the glasses he always wore.

She reached up, took the glasses from his face, and put them on herself, giggling and nodding the whole time.

"Still am. When do you have to go home," she asked him.

"Not for awhile. My mom won't be home tonight anyways."

"I'm sorry," she said. She hated hearing about people having crappy parents.

"Don't be," he said, taking his glasses back from her. "Means I get to hang out with you more."

"True and I'm obviously the coolest person around," she said.

He didn't reply to that, instead grabbed a tendril of her hair and started twirling it around his finger.

"Steven," she said seriously and waited for him to look back down at her. As their eyes locked, she forgot what she was going to say. The only thing she was aware of was Steven's eyes looking right back at her. He seemed to be just affected by her and they both held their breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop.

Just as she registered a vague desire to reach up to him, Charlotte's stomach made a loud gurgling and her original thought came slamming back to her.

"Do you want to get some of Eric's cake."

He groaned, "how did we not think of that earlier? Yes, lets go!"

They quietly ran upstairs, got a slice of cake, and went back downstairs where they didn't have to be as quiet.

This time, Charlotte sat with her feet in Steven's lap as they ate their cake.

"Does your mom not come home often," she asked lightly, hoping it wouldn't upset him.

"Yeah, she was never really a maternal woman," he shrugged.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why people have kids when they don't plan on taking care of them," she said.

"I wasn't exactly planned. She loves telling me how I ruined her water skiing career."

"And your dad?"

"Took off, was less of a parent than ole' Edna," Steven said, eyes remaining on his plate of cake.

"When I think about the world I want to live in, I think it should be illegal for parents to act like that. To not have any consequences for making another human and not giving it the life it should," she said, closing her eyes and dropping her head back on the arm of the couch.

"So is that what you want to do with your life? Making parents be better," Steven asked.

Charlotte shook her head, "no. I want to be an engineer. I want to find other ways to make energy that isn't from oil, like from the sun or wind or something. We're too reliant on something that may dry up one day."

Steven just stared down at her, "you really are too smart for the rest of us."

She shrugged, "I don't know about that but I do know that those glasses look way better on me."

Steven laughed, took off his glasses, and put them on her. She was surprised at how gently he worked them onto her face, making sure that they were properly behind her ears and not crooked. There was a clear tension that was building between them, both of them pretty close to each other and looking directly into each others eyes.

"I think I should go to bed," she said quietly, looking down to break their eye contact.

"Yeah, I need to get going before it's too late to walk," he said as he got up, moving her legs gently back to the floor.

Charlotte got up and handed back the glasses to him, "are you sure you want to walk home? You could just stay here."

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Always the tough guy," she said, rolling her eyes and hugging him tightly. "Be safe okay?"

"Always," Steven said, leaving through the basement door.

Charlotte washed her face and changed into her nightgown once she got upstairs, thinking the whole time about how nice it would be once she got into bed.

Once she was under the covers and her light was off, however, she couldn't sleep. She found herself replaying all the moments she shared with Steven that night and thinking back to that moment of tension in the basement.

Not knowing what else to do, she forced herself to think about Chris and the date she had planned with him.

She tossed and turned for hours that night. In the morning, she just chalked it up to still being high and told herself to forget it.


End file.
